Coronavirus

Ohioans who need to renew their driver’s license or tags are going to have to wait. So will people want to get their hair cut or get a tattoo. Those businesses are the latest places ordered to close because of the coronavirus outbreak.

The decision to postpone Ohio's primary has stirred up legal challenges including a state supreme court lawsuit filed by the Ohio Democratic Party. But leaders there say this is actually a preemptive strike to protect the extended primary.

When businesses shut down or lay off employees, they are required to give a notice to the feds and the state. A change intended to make that process easier is being made because of the coronavirus pandemic.

After a series of events whipsawing back and forth last night, Gov. Mike DeWine's administration issued a public health order to close all polling locations for Ohio's primary today. The plan is to allow in-person voting on June 2.

Ohio’s K-12 schools should be gearing up to take state mandated tests during the first week of April. But there’s no guarantee the schools will be back in session by that point if the coronavirus situation isn’t under control by then. Those tests might not happen.

All bars in Ohio are closed, and all restaurants that are open are carryout only because of concerns about the spread of coronavirus. And Gov. Mike DeWine said another key shutdown order will be coming soon.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ohio is now 26 and continues to climb, which was to be expected once community spread was detected. A big message from state health officials is that coronavirus is "amongst us" even if we don't see it.

Gov. Mike DeWine is warning families that new public health orders could come in the future that end up closing daycare facilities. At this point, that hasn't happened and the state is taking other steps to help relieve the pressure on those centers.

With schools shutting after Monday due to coronavirus concerns, many children who depend on school breakfasts and lunches will not have those options. And many other programs who rely on older volunteers to help meet the needs of older Ohioans will be needing help too.

Gov. Mike DeWine is closing K-12 schools, banning many large public events and stopping most visits at the state's nursing homes as part of a comprehensive strategy to combat the spread of coronavirus.

Congress is considering a bill that would make it easier for low-income people to get emergency food assistance during the COVID-19 outbreak. And advocates for foodbanks are requesting the state and communities make some changes too.

State health officials say the fourth confirmed case of COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, had no contact with other cases and didn't travel overseas. This signals the start of community spread in Ohio, leading Gov. Mike DeWine to issue more public health orders.

Gov. Mike DeWine says he thinks the state’s Coronavirus hotline needs to be moved to a larger location because the tight space it is located in now is conducive to passing the potentially deadly disease. The hotline is getting an average of two calls per minute.

State officials are trying to raise awareness about the importance of everyone doing their part in preventing the spread of coronavirus. As the Ohio Department of Health explains, this is a population health crisis, and containing the virus takes a group effort.

Thousands of Ohio voters are finding out if they want to vote on election day, they’ll have to go to a new place to cast their ballots for the St. Patrick’s Day primary next week. The state is moving 128 polling places out of nursing homes and senior residential facilities because of concerns about spreading coronavirus to residents.

(NOTE: This story has been updated with a list of the new polling places.)

Public health officials are recommending the implementation of social distancing in places where coronavirus is spreading. A top tech official with the state is urging businesses to prepare now for the likely event that happens in Ohio.

The worldwide outbreak of the coronavirus disease known as COVID-19 has officially landed in Ohio with Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) immediately signing a state of emergency order after learning about the first three confirmed cases.

The state now has the ability to conduct tests for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Due to limited resources the state has created a protocol to determine who to prioritize for testing.

The state has opened a call center for anyone who has questions about the potential spread of coronavirus and COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, while urging people around the state to prepare.

Nearly a dozen people at a nursing home in Washington died from COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus. Nursing homes throughout Ohio are being urged to take precautions to prevent coronavirus in their facilities so that doesn’t happen here.

Gov. Mike DeWine is issuing a public health order to bar spectators from attending the Arnold Sports Festival competitions, except for the finals tomorrow night and Saturday night, due to coronavirus concerns.